As the green pillar of light restrained Crimson Flame, countless thin threads split off from the mirror Hongxi held high. These threads, like long needles, pierced into Crimson Flame’s body.
Crimson Flame’s black-and-red body trembled violently, like a flickering candle in the wind.
Li Fan keenly noticed that the green threads seemed to be absorbing something. Crimson Flame’s body was gradually shrinking, and it’s aura was continuously weakening.
Crimson Flame struggled desperately to break free, but it was like an insect caught in a spider’s web—the more he resisted, the tighter the threads wrapped around him.
The massive green net firmly locked Crimson Flame in place.
The sight of his current miserable state starkly contrasted with Li Fan’s past-life memories, where even in defeat, Crimson Flame had at least displayed the combat strength of a Dao Integration powerhouse imbued with the power of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth.
“The power of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth comes from the heavens and the earth. The Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation, however, can replace the heavens and sever his connection to the world. No wonder Crimson Flame is so utterly powerless,” Li Fan thought to himself as he observed Crimson Flame’s tragic condition.
“But I wonder… will this formation be able to suppress Ink Death as well? If Ink Death is still sacrificed and refined, will the heavens respond by sending an even stronger incarnation of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth?”
Just as everyone in Congyun Sea thought the battle was already decided, a colossal hand suddenly emerged from beneath the ocean’s surface.
“Tianyang!” Li Fan instantly recognized the origin of the giant hand.
However, this time, Tianyang did not shout his signature phrase, ‘Tianyang’s life—never weaker than others!’ Instead, he had silently lurked beneath the battlefield, waiting for the perfect moment.
Like a cunning predator, he had swooped in to capture them both in one fell swoop.
“You court death!” Hongxi’s expression changed drastically upon realizing Tianyang’s ambush.
He maintained the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation while simultaneously commanding layers of mountain-like formations to crash into the five imprisoning fingers around him.
“Boom!”
To Hongxi’s shock, the massive hand did not even attempt to resist his attack. It allowed the manifested mountains to crash into it directly. Yet, at the moment of impact, those towering peaks—indistinguishable from real mountains—shattered as if they had struck something a hundred times harder.
They crumbled into dust on the spot.
Immortal Lord Hongxi’s body trembled slightly. The immense counterforce almost caused him to lose control of the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation.
Sensing a glimmer of hope, Crimson Flame immediately ceased his struggles.
Instead, he withdrew and conserved his strength, waiting for Hongxi to expose another opening.
“Damn it!” Hongxi cursed under his breath after suffering an unexpected setback. He chose to momentarily ignore Tianyang’s giant hand and instead focused all his efforts on the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation, accelerating the refining of Crimson Flame.
However, Tianyang—who had been greatly enhanced by Li Fan’s relentless efforts—had evidently grown more intelligent. He was no longer just a brute relying on sheer force.
The five fingers of the enormous hand suddenly turned crimson, as if molten lava flowed within them. Some of the lava even seeped from the puppet’s body, freely circulating and forming intricate patterns.
Like fiery dragons soaring through the air, these streams of lava swiftly arranged themselves into a complete formation, trapping both Hongxi and Crimson Flame within.
“The Earth-Fire Return to Origin Formation!” Li Fan’s eyes flickered with sharp insight.
“It seems Tianyang’s transformation is quite significant. He’s no longer just relying on brute force but has actually learned to use formations!”
“Hongxi was too greedy. He had plenty of time to evade while the formation was taking shape, but he refused to give up on the Spiri of Heaven and Earth he had already captured.”
“Now, it’s just a matter of who’s faster. Will Hongxi drain and kill Crimson Flame first, advancing to the Dao Integration realm? Or will Tianyang absorb Hongxi entirely and ascend to become a Dao Integration Immortal Sage…”
With an amused expression, Li Fan watched the three-way standoff in the sky, ready to enjoy the show.
However, some of the cultivators within Congyun City could no longer sit still.
“The Spirit of Heaven and Earth belongs to the virtuous! Fellow Daoists, the opportunity to defy fate and change destiny is right before our eyes!”
Encouraged and incited by those with ulterior motives, dozens—if not hundreds—of cultivators could not resist the temptation in their hearts. One after another, they launched attacks on the three who were locked in a standoff, hoping to become the lucky one who would reap the benefits and ascend to greatness in a single step.
Li Fan noticed that He Zhenghao almost lost control as well. He had already flown forward, but for some reason, he suddenly came to his senses halfway and turned back.
“Wait a little longer… just a little longer.”
Li Fan heard him mumbling under his breath.
His tightly shut eyes and trembling body clearly showed that he was desperately suppressing his own desires at this moment.
Li Fan chuckled and shifted his gaze back to Tianyang and the others.
The Earth-Fire Return to Origin Formation had already been pushed to its limit by Tianyang. Columns of magma erupted continuously from the seabed beneath Congyun, forming a spectacular scene of fire dragons surging through the ocean. Li Fan knew that Tianyang was exerting his full strength to harness the power of the Congyun Earth-Fire.
Ordinarily, Earth-Fire was bound to and restricted by the earth’s veins, making it nearly impossible for cultivators to control it so easily.
However, earlier, in order to force out Crimson Flame, Immortal Lord Hongxi had activated the Heavenly Origin Transformation Formation, completely destroying the earth veins of Congyun Sea.
As a result, the Earth-Fire magma lost its restraints and raged like a wild horse, allowing the Earth-Fire Return to Origin Formation to function at twice its normal effectiveness.
From a certain perspective, this was a case of cause and effect—Immortal Lord Hongxi was digging his own grave.
Noticing that his energy was depleting even faster than Crimson Flame’s, Hongxi’s expression kept shifting.
At this moment, if he withdrew the Xuantian Sealing Spirit Mirror and gave up suppressing Crimson Flame, focusing entirely on the situation at hand, he might be able to escape from the Earth-Fire Return to Origin Formation.
However, the Xuantian Sealing Spirit Mirror could only be used once. After activation, the mirror would turn into an ordinary object. To use it again, he would have to return to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters to request a recharge.
This meant that if he interrupted the process now, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
He might be able to save his life, but achieving Dao Integration? That would be out of the question.
On the other hand, if he fought to the death, there was indeed the risk of losing his life—but there was also a chance of breaking through to the Dao Integration realm! If he succeeded, the heavens and earth would be vast before him, and his fate would be forever changed!
With a ferocious expression, Immortal Lord Hongxi made his final decision in an instant.
Blazing streaks of light shot out from his body, attacking the Earth-Fire Return to Origin Formation, attempting to slow down his own refinement and absorption process.
Meanwhile, Hongxi’s eyes were filled with unwavering determination. He cast aside all distractions, focusing solely on controlling the Xuantian Spirit Sealing Formation to suppress and refine Crimson Flame.
Time passed, second by second.
Crimson Flame’s body grew dimmer and dimmer.
It had become almost completely transparent, as if it could disappear from the world at any moment.
“Die for me!”
Hongxi roared, transforming into a golden-brown beam of light and charging at Crimson Flame without hesitation.
At the same time, the Xuantian Spirit Sealing Formation erupted with its most dazzling radiance.
Green and yellow intertwined like a sharp blade, about to pierce fiercely into Crimson Flame’s body.